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PTI

Leh: The Union Territory of Ladakh reported 80 new coronavirus cases and three more deaths, taking the cumulative figures to 3,499 infections and 44 fatalities, officials said Wednesday.

There are 938 active coronavirus cases in the union territory now, out of which 502 are in Leh and 436 in Kargil, they said, adding 2,517 patients have recovered till date.

Three patients two in Kargil and one in Leh — succumbed to the disease during a 24-hour period, taking the overall toll to 44, the officials said this morning.

The death toll in Kargil now stands at 26, while the rest of 18 patients have died in Leh district.

Out of the 80 new cases, the officials said, 57 were in Leh and 23 in Kargil.

The officials said 40 patients in Leh and two in Kargil were discharged on Tuesday after they recovered from the infection, bringing down the number of active cases to 938.

Pays day-long visit to North Kashmir’s Kupwara District; reviews security, law & order scenario along LoC

Srinagar: To have an on spot assessment of various issues pertaining to border areas including Counter-Infiltration/terrorism operations, measures and general security scenario along LOC ,Director General of Police Shri Dilbag Singh today visited North Hill Headquarters 18th Sikh Battalion in North Kashmir’s Kupwara District and Farkiyan Brigade Headquarters and had detailed interaction with the senior army officers at both the locations.

The DGP during his day-long visit to these border areas reviewed security, law & order scenario , besides winter preparedness of forces from infiltration point of view and also with regard to the increase in ceasefire violations.

The DGP was accompanied by IGP Kashmir Shri Vijay Kumar. He was received by GOC 28 Div Major General A S Aujla and SSP Kupwara Shri Ambarkar Shriram Dinkar at Zangli, Kupwara.

During the visit the DGP was given an operational briefing at Farkiyan by Brig K Mohan Nair of 268 Infantry Brigade of Keran Sector and at North Hill Post by Col.Kuldeep Karpe CO 18 Sikh about the status of terrorist launchpads along the LoC, security situation on LoC, and hinterland. Various measures for strengthening the security of the border grid and hinterland were discussed threadbare.

Appreciating the efforts of the units deployed in border areas in achieving better results on various fronts, the DGP said that Our troops are working day and night with full alertness and commitment and are successfully combating the menace of terrorism and providing a better security environment to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

He said that forces have to remain on the constant vigil and alert so that any evil attempt to disrupt peace in Jammu and Kashmir is effectively foiled.

Shri Dilbag Singh commended the forces for Robust Anti-Infiltration Grid, action against OGWs, narcotics and weapon smuggling. He appreciated troops for tight vigil along the LoC

The DGP urged the officers to maintain surveillance on the elements trying to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere and take all preventive measures.

He said that we have to deal with the these elements firmly by using the latest technology and also counter their negative propaganda . He complimented presence of uniformed women army personnel conducting screening at nakas to prevent use of females as couriers of narcotics and weapons .

Shri Singh impressed for further strengthening relations with the people of border areas and emphasized to continue good team work with full coordination and synergy at various levels among police army and other security forces .
He said that close liaison between the J&K Police and security forces has borne good results and are very imperative for foiling terrorist activities which are encouraged on the behest of Pakistan. He said that better coordination, synergy between the forces yielded good results so far . He said that cooperation of the people with the forces has helped in maintaining sustained peace and these relations should be strengthened at all levels to defeat ill designs of inimical elements.

The DGP said that forces have to continue their peace efforts with even more dedication by ensuring a peaceful and secure environment for the people of Jammu and Kashmir who have been victim of Pakistan sponsored terrorism for many years now.(GNS)

Srinagar: Amid COVID-19, Kashmir has become a breeding ground for social media misuse.
In the last few months, it has been seen that misuse of social media which created confusion amid the COVID-19 in the valley.

Several fake orders were circulated on social media that the Supreme Court has advised the government to restore 4G Internet in J&K within 24 hours.

Many Netizens shared it as it reads almost like a genuine order issued by the registry of the apex court. It spread so fast that police had to issue statements a number of times that order was fake.

Similarly, fake news was uploaded with regard to the diagnosis of COVID-19 in Khandipora Beerwah.

These are several such cases reported in the recent past how the social media was being misused in Kashmir and becoming a breeding ground for rumour mongering.

There are lots of reports about misusing of social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by the miscreants who are using fake and anonymous names. This is happening at a time when the entire world is fighting to contain COVID-19 and most people rely on social media to get the latest updates about this disease.

Senior officials in the administration, doctors, journalists are mostly resorting to social media to send their message across how to prevent coronavirus.

Even some media organizations have fallen prey to fake orders after shared on social media.

A senior police official told news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS) that some of the cyber-attacks in Kashmir are also related to obscene publication, transmission of unauthorized contents, cyber stalking, and obscene messages. There have been several instances in the past when fake videos circulated on social media created a law and order situation. At times it has defamed and broke privacy of individuals in Kashmir.
Misuse of social media has put many officials and other people in tizzy and became problematic for them.

An IAS officer, who is also J&K government spokesperson, is the one who is providing updates about COVID-19 on his Twitter handle. However, some fake accounts were also created on his name to create confusion.

Later screenshots of those accounts were also being shared on social media. This incident brought into limelight the misuse of social media in the valley as many people paid heed to it without verifying the facts. Following which he took to his Twitter handle to clarify the things.

In another Tweet he said, “I am told that some twitter handles impersonating my account are carrying fake news regarding the internet. I have not made any statement. Fake handles have been reported for action. We will also be taking action under cyber laws.”

A senior police official said it was a challenging task to contain misuse of social media in the valley.

“We have identified many social media accounts which are under our radar. We are monitoring what stuff they are sharing and will take action accordingly,” he said.

He said Cyber Police was also monitoring all the profiles and the content being shared by the users.

He said there is a minimum punishment of three years for social media misuse. “There would be 15 years punishment and even life imprisonment for those who misuse social media,” he said.

Earlier, in 2017 the government had issued directives that Whatsapp news groups and news Facebook pages need to be registered.
“It is impressed upon all the admins of Whatsapp news groups of the district to get the registration of their Whats App news groups in the office of the undersigned within ten days,” a circular, issued in 2017 reads.But nothing has been done in this regard so far. (KINS)

The Army’s Northern Command headquarters made these assertions reacting to China’s official media reports that India’s operational logistics is not geared up adequately and it will not be able to fight through winters effectively.

PTI

Asserting that it is fully prepared to fight a full-fledged war even in winters in eastern Ladakh, the Indian Army on Wednesday said if China created conditions for war, they will face a better trained, better prepared, fully rested and psychologically hardened Indian troops.

In a statement, it said compared to physically and psychologically battle-hardened Indian troops, Chinese troops are mostly from urban areas and not used to hardships or prolonged deployment under field conditions.

The Army’s Northern Command headquarters made these assertions reacting to China’s official media Global Times’ reports that India’s operational logistics is not geared up adequately and it will not be able to fight through winters effectively.

“This can best be attributed to ignorance. Indian Army is fully prepared and more than capable of fighting a full-fledged war even in winters in eastern Ladakh,” a Northern Command spokesperson said.

“India is a peace-loving country and wishes to have good relations with its neighbours. India always prefers to resolve issues through dialogue. While talks are in progress to resolve the border issues with China in eastern Ladakh, at the military level it is well prepared for the prolonged stand-off,” he said.

He said altitudes in Ladakh range from high to super-high altitude and there is a lot of snowfall – up to 40ft after November.

“Coupled with this, the temperature dipping down to minus 30 to 40 degree Celsius is a usual phenomenon. Wind chill factor makes matters even worse for the troops. The roads also get closed due to the snow. But despite all this, the most encouraging part for India is that the Indian soldiers have a huge experience of winter warfare and are psychologically tuned to operate at short notice,” the spokesperson said.

While these facts are known to the world, he said, adding the operational logistics capabilities, however, are hardly known.

“Logistic capability relates to mobility, habitat and billeting, quality services for health, special rations, repair and recovery, heating systems, high-quality weapons, ammunition, quality clothing, and so on. While much of these capabilities existed earlier and troops could simply plug and play, a lot has also been boosted since May this year when China showed first signs of aggression,” he said.

The spokesperson said it is important to understand that the Army has the experience of Siachen, the highest battleground in the world, where conditions are much more demanding than the frontiers with China.

“Traditionally there were two routes for moving into Ladakh, that is through Zojila (Srinagar-Leh Highway) and Rohtang Passes (Manali-Leh). Recently India commissioned a third road from Darcha to Leh which is much shorter distance-wise and less prone to closure,” he said.

The spokesperson said completion of Atal tunnel on the Rohtang route has multiplied the logistic capacities.

“In addition, we have a large number of airbases with the help of which we can maintain the Army well. Modern snow clearing equipment has also been placed on these routes to keep them open beyond November, thus giving us more time for daily maintenance of the troops,” he said.

The spokesperson said special fuel and lubricants for tanks and armoured personnel carriers have also been stocked adequately, including spares for their maintenance.

“Water points and tube wells have been established for the troops and animals such as mules and yaks. The living barracks have also been prepared which are comfortable and warm,” he said.

He said facilities such as the central heating system are some of the high points of these facilities. “Ammunition of various types including small arms, missiles and tank and artillery ammunition have also been adequately stocked. The medical system is also in place for any eventuality,” he said.

The spokesperson said China’s concept has always been to win the wars without fighting, hence, if they create conditions for war, they will come across better trained, better prepared, fully rested and psychologically hardened Indian troops.

“These worries have been percolating in the minds of Chinese troops and are visible in Chinese media,” he said.

Srinagar: Displaying yet another example of brotherhood, Muslims in Kashmir capital Srinagar helped a Hindu woman to get her deceased husband cremated on Tuesday.

Muslims arranged material needed for cremation, gave shoulder to the bier of Tony Nanda and expressed sympathies with the deceased’s elderly wife.

Tony Nanda, a resident of Amritsar was living with his wife in a rented house at Balgarden Karan Nagar area of Srinagar. Well-known singer Gulzar Ganaie, who knew the deceased very well, told news agency Kashmir News Trust that Tony was living in Kashmir from past 30 years. “He was an expert mechanic of musical instruments. Almost all the artists in Kashmir were in touch with him. He used to live in Aloochi Bagh area then got shifted to Balgarden. He married both his daughters outside Kashmir while his son left him after he got a job in Amritsar,” Ganaie said and expressed grief over the demise of Tony Nanda.

He said Nanda was living with his wife. “I too participated in his cremation. His wife informed me over phone about his death. He was suffering from multiple ailments. I appreciate my Muslim brethren for always setting best examples of brotherhood. Humanity is the biggest religion and Kashmiris have proved it time and again,” the singer told KNT.